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Hi all, This is my completed Tamiya 1/35 Type 90 Tank with Mine Roller. Build Summary I built this pretty much OOB, with the exception of stowage, the wires on the smoke dispensers which were scratch built using thin wire and the antenna, also made using slightly thicker wire. The visors on the hatches were made by mixing Microsol Klear and Tamiya X-23 clear blue. I decided to keep the tank clean and weather it very slightly. The tracks, and mine roller were weathered a bit more but the tanks as a whole has a clean look. This is how I like it. I built the tank first and the mine roller second, as I prefer to build in sub assemblies. The mine roller tow cables broke off and so look slightly bent in the final model. With the stowage I added a few civillian Jerry cans to add some colour and a brief case carrying the launch codes! The colours on the tank are slightly off as I decided not to use the Tamiya JGSDF colours as I do not like to paint with acrylics, so the tank was painted using Humbrol enamels, with colours that were eyeballed to match but also to create more of contrast. Finally the panel lines were highlighted using Copic Multi liner pens - Black using the 0.03mm tip and the 0.05mm tip. I prefer using these to washes as it gives me more control and also helps create that clean look I was going for. The paint was faded slightly in areas and preshaded in others to give that ever so slight weathered feel. Kit Details (from www.scalemates.com) Brand: Tamiya Title: Japanese Type 90 Tank with Mine Roller Number: 35236 Scale: 1:35 Type: Full kit Released: 1999 | Rebox (Updated/New parts) based on Tamiya Kit 35208 released in 1996 Final Video Type 90 with Mine Roller Type 90 without Mine Roller Final Photos I hope you all like it. All comments welcome.

So some may be aware that I've embarked on a large, multi-diorama project (gulp) revolving around a fictional conflict in Japan. The planned dioramas include a M1151 Humvee, M2A3 BUSK Bradley, M1A2 TUSK Abrams and a Type 90. The Type 90 is the oldest kit of the group; the others were all bought within the last six months, while the Type 90 is several years old. It was sitting on a shelf in about a 90% completed state, with some parts unpainted or not attached. This particular set also came with the ammo loading crew and accessories, which I never used. So given the overarching theme it seemed like a good opportunity to use all the components together. After mapping out my plan, I embarked on the risky task of masking off the decals already on the kit (they were the most interesting and I didn't want to lose them if I could help it). The only ones lost to the paint were the serial numbers front and back, since they would've been next to impossible to mask effectively (happy accident with masking tape on the stripes; it pulled some of the decals off, but gave them a weather look). I then resprayed the model in black, and for the first time added some white for shade modulation. I then applied the camo (Dark Green (JGSDF) is hard to find ) and clear coated it. From this point on I was in an experimental, uncharted stage. I hadn't done extensive weathering before, nor had I panel lined, not on a tank at least. Using an AK Interactive dark wash I picked up for NATO camo, I gave it a go with this scheme. The result was better than expected. I then applied some AK rain marks, which again turned out better than expected, although the matt coat dulled them a little more than desired (probably because I had them quite faded anyway) and some were lost, but I think it still works. After that it was some mixed up Mig Pigments on the treads, wheels and skirts and lower hull. The diorama base itself posed more issues. The air clay I used to create the terrain had the unfortunate effect of pulling up the centre of my plywood board as it dried, bowing it. The clay then fractured and separated. Not a good start. Luckily, I had some old balsa pieces which I superglued to the bottom to brace it. I then wetted the wood and set about 20kg of weights on top. Success! It worked I then reattached the clay with glue (surprisingly, the clay was completely flat despite having been sitting on the bow). With my base set up I slapped on some Tamiya diorama texture paint and lost some of the imprint detail in the clay because of its thickness. I have something of a plan to rectify this. The texture paint, as it dries, enters a stage where its more or less touch dry but has a bit of malleability in it still. So I may apply some to the area around the tracks and the ammo boxes and then lightly press them into it. Hopefully this will do the trick. I've toyed with adding the paste directly to the treads, but I'm not confident enough in my ability to make it look right, and worry that I could cock it up. I gave the base a spray with some different brown tones and then put down some PVA and scatter grass. The field grass I got doesn't work well with PVA, not for posing at least. The glue doesn't have enough tackiness to hold it upright properly, so I've got some scenic glue on order to do the job. Overall I'm pleased with how the tank came out. The diorama base is starting to look a bit better, but I'll wait and see the final result. I think it needs a surround of some kind, especially if I keep the balsa pieces on. I also bought some 'Green Stuff' to try and make some extra stowage with. Fiddly stuff, and while I made up some tarps, I'm not sure I'll be able to make much more with it (they're currently curing, and I'm waiting to see if they'll end up sticking to the plastic I set them on, or come away nicely to be used. Fingers crossed). So yeah, another text wall from me On to the pics, with some befores and afters (loading crew is done, I just didn't put them on the after test because the PVA was still damp). Gaz

This will be my first armour build after only doing aircraft before, so I'll hopefully learn a lot along the way. Thanks for looking, Jason